Celtic have reportedly stalled over a bid from Atlanta United for Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The Hoops are said to be playing hardball over the Greek international with the Major League Soccer side.

The Americans have tabled an offer for the 28-year-old which comprises of a loan with an option to buy at the end of it. 

However, it's believed that the Scottish champions want a straight transfer and therefore guaranteed money before they green light his move to the States.

Urawa Red Diamonds already have a £4million bid on the table for Giakoumakis. 

And as things stand, Celtic would rather take that offer, according to the Daily Record.

That said, Giakoumakis' preference is to move to Atlanta for family reasons. The personal terms on offer from the MLS club are also said to be better than those in Japan.

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However, the report states that Celtic will now allow the striker to leave for Atlanta unless they come up with an acceptable guaranteed transfer fee.

In turn, Giakoumakis has been told in no uncertain terms that unless he accepts Urawa's offer, then they are prepared to keep him until the summer when they can reassess the situation.

Giakoumakis wants to leave Celtic after contract negotiations broke down. He's also grown tired of constantly playing second fiddle to Kyogo.

It remains to be seen whether Atlanta will come back in with another offer to match Celtic's requirements.

They have already freed up the wage budget for Giakoumakis by moving designated player Josef Martinez to Inter Miami.

The player is now sweating to see if a deal can be done.

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